Christmas and New Year greetings and wishes to all our loved ones
ONCE again, it is time for me to greet and wish all our loved ones here and overseas a Happy and Blessed Christmas and a More Meaningful and Prosperous New Year! The pool includes our children and grandchildren, a number of whom are in the United States, Paris, Canada, and Australia. Of course, my wife Consuelo Sol and yours truly would like to say hello, good luck, and God bless you to our fellow American Scouters in Troup 507 and Arrowmates in Lodge110, Michagamea Lodge, Order of the Arrow, Calumet Council, Boy Scouts of America. Happily, I am a lifetime member of the Lodge since I joined the BSA in Dolton, Illinois, in the early part of 1998; thanks to Scouter Tom Floreck and his charming wife Marge and my OA Godfather/ sponsor Dave Shay. The Floreck boys Chris and Brian are Eagle Scouts. They are now married and are happily raising their respective families. For some time, I haven't been able to communicate with them as I had been tied up most of the time doing my responsibilities as the President of the Baguio Elderly Association (BEA), the citywide organization of Senior Citizens and a myriad of activities of the 44th Anniversary Celebration of the Silahis ng Pasko sa Baguio, the CSWD Office adn the NCCB's Yuletide Season program. And that I have to keep up with my physical and medical requirements. And that of my wife's, too. My wife is turning 85 while I am enjoying my journey towards 87. Time truly flies by so fast.
Christmas day is just two days away from today. By then, we will know the name of this year's Baguio Lucky Baby. The search for the Lucky Baby starts midnight of December 24 at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center free ward section. The project committee headed by yours truly together with the main host of the special event, Baguio Balikbayan Jossie Delanila from barangay Scout Barrio will visit the mother and child at the hospital at 9 o'clock in the morning on December 26. The other members of the core of sponsors are SNPB co-chair Betty Fangasan from the CSDWO, Isaias Barongan, OSCA head and president of the Philippine Government Retirees Association - Baguio Chapter, Edith Ibarra, president of the Federation of Baguio Senior Citizens Assocations, and Prof. Federico Balanag, president-OIC of the BARP Foundation. The package from the sponsors will include P5,000.00, baby clothes, feeding bottles, blankets, assorted canned goods, a basket of fruits, assorted cookies and biscuits, and a welcome medallion.
By the way, the same group of wellwishers are the sponsors of the forthcoming quest for the Baguio Lucky New Year Baby 2018, which will also be held at the BGHMC's free ward section. This time around, US Navy veteran Angel Villalarvo and his family are to be the main event hosts. The gift package for the instant celebrity will be presented on January 2 by the project committee.
Like in the previous years, I will be performing my Santa Claus skit on Christmas day. I will be moving up and down Session Road, giving candy to children. This is one of my "panata" in life. I am steadfast in my humble belief that man can only be happy if he shares his happiness to make other people happy as well. To a certain extent, this is what caring and sharing means to me.
Last Tuesday morning, I visited Rev. Fr. Jeffrey, the parish priest of Campo Filipino Barangay Church in his office. During our brief meeting, Fr. Jeffrey requested me to help coordinate with Silahis ng Pasko sa Baguio's Holy Mass to be held at Malcolm Square on December 27 at 4:30 in